Alarm-clock



(No Model.)

E. R. MASON 8v A. 0. SNOW.

ALARM CLOCK.

115.505.115. Patented sept. 19, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT4 EETCE,

EDVARD R. MASON AND ALT O. SNOV, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

ALARM-CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,115, dated September 19, 1893.

Application led May l, 1893. Serial No. 472,604. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD R. MASON and ALT O. SNOW, citizens of the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Mechanism .for Clocks; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a/part of this specification.

Our invention relates to those alarm clocks in which the alarm is stopped for a short interval and then allowed to resume in order to more eiectually awaken the sleeper. Clocks of this kind have used in connection with the alarm mechanism, a device adapted to engage detents on the arbor of one of the time wheels, so that the rotation of the latter would cause the arrest and release of the alarm mechanism to intermittently stop and sound the alarm. This old form of mechanism interferes to a considerable extent, with the free movements of the time mechanism; and it is the purpose of our invention to reduce the amount of such interference to a minimum by providing connections between the alarm and time mechanism, which will not materially affect the time-keeping qualities of the clock, but which will be just as effective in sounding the several separate and distinct alarms.

To this end ourinvention comprehends the peculiar features and combinationsv of parts more fully described hereinafter and pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l represents a front elevation ot the ordinary alarm mechanism to which our improvements are applied; Fig. 2, a top view thereof in which dotted lines show the changed position of parts; Fig. 3 a top detail View; Fig. 4 a perspective detail view.

The reference letter A represents the customary casing or frame in which the mechanism is mounted; B the alarm actuating spring; O the gear actuated thereby; D the escapement wheel; E the escapement verge;

F the rock-shaft; and G the clapper fixed thereto. Motion is transmitted from the gear O to the shaft F by way of an intermediate gear G.

The alarm is normally held out of action by means of a downwardly extending arm H fixed to the clapper and escapement verge shaft F and intercepted by the free inturned end I of a trip I. The normal position of the shaft F is shown by Fig. 2, and this is insured by the spring F which is fixed to the frame A and operates to push the shaft F as far to the rear as possible. The trip is resilient and has its fixed end secured to the opposite side ot' the framing A. In the present instance the trip is made ot dat sheet brass and secured to have a tendency to spring outward. It is provided with a hole near its central portion through which the center-arbor of the timepiece J passes. On the end of the center-arbor and outside the trip,is loosely mounted an hour wheel K. The trip I presses constantly against the small sleeve K, attached to and revolving with the gear K, and the latter is retained on the spindle by a pin J.

To release the trip I from the arm I-I and allow the alarm mechanism to act, the gear K is provided with a cam having two recesses K3 and K4 in its outer side to receive the pin successively as the gear revolves on the spindle in the direction denoted by arrows. The second recess K4 slopes gradually outward to the face of the cam, in order to otter the least possible resistance to the rotation of the gear K as the pin passes out of the recess. When the pin comes to and enters the first recess K3, the gear through the resiliency of the trip I, is urged outward and allows the inturned end I of the trip I to move away from the arm II and permit the paWl to vibrate and the alarm to sound.

To stop the alarm mechanism before it runs down and to sound a second alarm shortly afterward, mechanism acting independently ot' the time-mechanism is provided. This consists of a long spring shifting-rod M having one end iixed to one of the cross bars A of the frame, and extending over the mainspring shaft O', and its free end passes between the arm H and the verge E attached to the clapper-shaft F. This shaft F is al- IOC lowed a limited amount of endwise play in its bearings in order to permit it to be moved back and forth, and hence thrown in and out of engagement with the trip. This action is produced by means of a worm C2 on the mainspring shaft C, which worin engages the rod M and gradually forces its free end against the arm H, thereby moving the latter opposite the end of the trip as shown in dotted lines Fig. 3, which again stops the vibrations of the arm and hence the action of the alarm. The cam Y2 continues to revolve until the pin J enters the second notch K4, whereupon the resiliency of the trip will a second time urge the hour wheel K farther outward and allow the internal end I of the trip to tl y away from and release the arm ll, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and again liberate the alarm mechanism to sound a second time. Now when the alarm spring is re wound in the resetting operation, the revolution of the main-spring shaft C will reverse the movement of the screw and draw the shifting rod M back to its original position, as shown in full lines Fig. 2. During this backward movement the shaft F returns to its normal position under the influence of spring F. Hence it will be seen that when the time mechanism brings the rst recess KS beneath the pin J', the alarm sounds until the screw on the shaft C moves the shifting rod forward and throws the arm H opposite the trip which stops the alarm mechanism. But this action does not affect the action of the cam which continues to revolve untilthe second recess Kl allows the gear K and hence the trip I, to Hy outward and liberate the alarm mechanism. The length of the intermissions between the alarms can be regulated by the distance between the notches, for the greater the distance the longer the intermis- Sion. A greater number of notches in the cam will cause a greater number of intermissions.

While the form shown is by preference the one adapted to illustrate our invention, yet it is manifest that othereqnally as successful ones could be devised by those skilledin the art, without-departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Therefore we do not limit ourselves to the exact construction herein shown and described, but consider ourselves entitled to all such variations as come within the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim isl. In an alarm mechanism for clocks, the combination with the main-spring shaft, of a Worm, a verge-shaft having endwise movement and connect-ed to be actuated back and forth by the said worm, an automatic trip arranged to engage connections on said vergeshaft and means, substantially as described, for intermittingly disengaging the trip from said connections whereby two separate alarms are sounded, as set torth and described.

2. In an alarm mechanism for clocks, the combination with the main-spring shaft, of a worm thereon, a shifting rod actuated by the worm, a verge shaft having endwise movement and provided with an arm engaged by the rod, a strip adapted to engage said arm, and a driven cam acting in conjunction wit-h the trip to intermittingly move it away from the arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD R. MASON. ALT O. SNOV.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. Snow, JAMES F. PETTIT. 

